242: Selecting Cider

242: Selecting Cider

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist October 7, 2020 Duration: 30:41

Tips on "SelectIng Your Perfect Cider"

With so many choices on the shelf, purchasing cider can begin to feel daunting! This episode will provide tips to help you make that choice when faced with a wide range of cider styles.

242 Selecting Cider

Here are the key tips to consider when -  Purchasing Cider

Look for:

  • Cider made from 100% apples.
    •  Look for single varietal ciders to begin honing in on the wide variation of one cider to another
    • Stay away from the fruit and hopped cider until you have a sound idea of what a dry cider to semi sweet cider presents
  • Look for a Dry Scale
    • Look for the horizontal graph below on most of all New York ciders
      New York Orchard Based DrynessScale2019 slide 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Color - the range can be from light straw to deep amber. There are redflesh apples like Redfield, which will lend a red hue like a Rosè.
  • Cans or Bottles - what really matters is the cider within.
    • Cans have become increasingly popular with even some high end cider finding their way into cans. Plus they are better for the environment, because they are easier to recycle than glass, weigh less than glass thus decreasing shipping cost and are more compact to pack.
    • bottles are nice objects with long stems, often cork and cage which offer up a "Pop" when opened. For a date night, it is always bottle 100%!

Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving!

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts.


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
278: Still Fishing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:31
Gone Fishing Ok, so maybe I'm not full on fishing this week, but if I get a chance you know where I will be - out on the water with my fishing pole...actually the heat is so high this week that maybe I will just take a f…
277: Spotlight on Cider | Bringing the Bellies to the Bar Pt 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:13
Getting Cider into the Spotlight This episode is Part 4 of the 4 Part series from CraftCon 2021 panel discussion on Bringing the Bellies to the Bar. In Part 1 we discussed "Who is Cider's Audience?" and "Who would you li…
276: Tempted by Cider | Bringing the Bellies to the Bar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:59
Tempted by Cider This episode is Part 3 of the 4 Part series from CraftCon 2021 panel discussion on Bringing the Bellies to the Bar. In Part 1 we discussed "Who is Cider's Audience?" and "Who would you like the Audience…
275: Cider Brand Strategy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:19
Listen to Part 1 of this 4-part series by going to episode 274: Cider's Audience. Brand Strategy for Cider Brand Strategy has the same goal no matter what you are selling. In short it is to get your product or services o…
274: Cider's Audience | Bringing the Bellies to the Bar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:09
Who is your audience? No matter what business venture, knowing your audience (targeted consumers) is key to one's success and is the first topic of conversation for the panel discussion titled Bring the Bellies to the Ba…
273: The Mountain & Tub | Stories in Ciderville [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:59
Climb Every Mountain Wendy LeBlanc and Patrick Mann met in Washington State before moving to Germany to settle into the 1785 homestead owned by Patrick's parents. One would think that living near the 14,000 foot (4267.2…
272: Blend Cider & Build an Orchestra | Ask Ryan 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:36
Blend Cider is Like Building an Orchestra Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Ontario has helped Ria sort through the process of getting cider that has been conditon for over two years into the bottle! Now that we have le…
271: The Exquisite Slurry for Bottling Cider | Ask Ryan 2021 Part 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:07
The Yeast and Sugar Slurry Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Ontario continue on with helping Ria get ready to bottle cider that has been conditioning for over 2 years! In this episode we discuss the amount of sugar to…
270: Cidermaker Tips to Avoid Bottle Bombs | Ask Ryan 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:20
Bottle Safely to Avoid Bottle Bombs If like me you grew up in a house where your parents made homemade everything, chances are they also dabbled in making homemade soda, wine, beer, and cider. Mine sure did and I still r…
269: Gross Lees in the Barrel | Ask Ryan 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:13
The Ask Ryan Series is back! In Spring of 2020 the first Ask Ryan series with Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider was posted. This year we return with Ryan once again to dive into more cidermaking questions. In this segment…